E-commerce increases earnings for farmers in NW China

Yang Yunkai selects Chinese prickly ash in Wudu district, Longnan city, Gansu province. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

At set intervals, the 65-year-old Chinese prickly ash farmer Yang Kaiyun, who lives in Wudu district, Longnan city, Gansu province, sells selected Chinese prickly ash to the local e-commerce cooperative which offers a higher purchase price than other dealers.

Also in Wudu district, Xu Tao, an under 30 years old designer, designs package labels for the local specialties to help Wudu products sell well at online markets.

Longnan locals are now getting higher incomes and better living conditions due to development of e-commerce.

Longnan city was listed as the first national e-commerce poverty alleviation pilot city by the State Council in May, 2015.

By the end of September, Longnan had created 17,000 jobs in more than 6,000 online stores, with e-commerce revenue from agricultural products exceeding one billion yuan ($160 million).

Longnan is one of the country's poorest cities. Although it is home to various agricultural products such as nuts and olives, scattered cultivation and inconvenient transportation have hindered locals in making profits from resources.

In order to break the bottleneck, since July, 2013 the local government has sped up the development of e-commerce. Optical cables were installed in poverty-restricted areas, road conditions were improved, and e-commerce cooperatives were established to serve the farmers. Locals have received support in opening online stores and participating in e-commerce trade, which has resulted in better living conditions.